Renault Koleos 2.0 dCi 175 Privilege

Road Test

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Renault Koleos 2.0 dCi 175 Privilege

Test date 06 August 2008 Price as tested £24,695

For High-speed refinement, strong performance, impressive equipment

AgainstDull to drive, notchy gearbox, uninspiring interior, poor fuel economy

To Renault, the justification behind this strangely titled Koleos is as simple as it comes: it can’t do without it. In a market that in Europe alone has more than doubled in size since 2002, to be without a recreational off-roader is to disadvantage yourself in the same way as a pub without beer.

But rather than shoulder the costs of developing a car from scratch to compete in a class whose popularity is clearly defined by the fickle finger of fashion, Renault, like so many others, has chosen to adapt pre-existing hardware as a cheap and quick way into the market.

The Koleos is a car with effectively three parents: Renault (which commissioned it and did the detail design work), Nissan (which provided the platform and engineering expertise) and Renault Samsung (which builds the car at its plant in Busan).

True, the result might not be quite so keenly honed to the competitive requirements of the European marketplace as would a bespoke product, but on a ‘something is better than nothing’ basis the argument in its favour would seem overwhelming.